Goat leg roasted over wood and charcoal

Recently, the dogs and I spent a day out in the yard, sawing up fallen limbs and burning them in my backyard fireplace. Earlier in the day, I went to the grocery store, and I saw they had half goat legs on sale. They looked real good, so I picked one up. It was about the same size as a half leg of lamb. 

As I was working in the yard, I lit the grill and started the goat leg roasting. Here’s how I prepared it.

1 half leg of goat

2 cloves of garlic, slivered

Oregano

Cajun seasoning

Adobo seasoning

2 large baking potatoes

Olive oil

2 shallots, minced

Wondra instant flour (flour for gravy)

Water

Preparation

To prepare the grill, you want to have two piles of charcoal, on opposite ends of your grill, bordered with hardwood chunks, about an inch thick. Light the charcoal by making a pile of dry snappy sticks on each charcoal mound and light them with a torch. When the sticks burn down, they will light the charcoal. 

While the coals are heating up, sliver the goat leg with the garlic, using a sharp knife to insert into the meat. Place the roast into a cast iron pan. Scrub two baking potatoes, rub them with olive oil and place them around the meat. Drizzle the roast with olive oil and then shake on a little oregano, cajun seasoning and adobo seasoning. 

Place the roast on the grill, centered between the two fires, but hopefully not directly over any of the hot coals. Close the lid of the grill and let the smoke do its thing. This will take about two hours to roast. You’ll have to add more charcoal occasionally, along with additional hardwood chunks. 

You want to take the roast off the grill when you reach an internal temperature of 120º at the coldest. Bring it in and set the meat on a platter, cover it with foil and place it in a warm place. It will continue to cook internally and will end up around 130º inside, which will be a perfect medium rare roast. 

Set the cast iron pan with the fat from the roast on the stove, and add the minced shallots. Let those gently sweat down to soften, but don’t burn them. Sprinkle on enough Wondra flour to absorb most of the liquid fat. Stir and cook that for a minute or two. Some of the flour will stick, but don’t worry Comrade. We’ll fix that. 

Add water, a little at a time, and stir to a simmer. Scrape up everything stuck to the bottom of the pan and repeat. Let it simmer when it reaches a nice gravy thickness. Pour the gravy into a bowl and slice the roast. 

Serving

Serve the meat, thinly sliced, next to a baked potato. Douse the meat with gravy. Add a pile of steamed, mixed vegetables, fresh baked bread, and open a bottle of Italian or Greek red wine. Your feast is ready.